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Julian Cutlass
Overview Julian Cutlass (b. 19 Aug 1982 in Wilmington, NC) is a North American-based shoot-style professional wrestler who achieved significant success during the mid-2000s after he become the ace of a Canadian promotion known as Lion's Road. Known for his personable nature with the media, he still has a significant and loyal fanbase to this day. Early Years Collegiate Level Julian Cutlass attended Conrad University where he participated in collegiate kick-boxing and shoot-fighting tournaments. Initially a traditionalist stand-up fighter, Cutlass augmented his style upon encountering then assistant coach, the great submission wrestler E. Clarence Clayson. After compiling a respectable 7-2-1 record, he suffered an neck injury Christmas Eve that scouts believed would threaten any hopes of a professional MMA career. An NROTC midshipman at Conrad, he was commissioned into the U.S. Navy and stationed at Naval Base Yokosuka where he developed an interest and began training in the pro-wrestling dojos in the local area under Izawa Fujiyama. After resigning his commission, he continued his training and eventually began a career which began at a house show, at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium. He became interested in the touring companies and by the time he finally could pass a physical for the commissions back home - he had developed a new obsession. He stayed in Japan for another half-year training in the stiff, strong style of professional wrestling - where his amateur combat sports background proved a boon to success. "Lord of the Cruiserweights" (DWF, IWF, ECFED) Donning a mask and calling himself Takeda Fujiyama (藤山武田 Fujiyama Takeda) in honor of his trainer, Cutlass entered into professional wrestling assuming a quieter, less pronounced role. As a junior heavyweight, he was featured mostly on the undercard where he achieved almost instant success - capturing the DWF Hardcore Championship and Cruiserweight Championship in a matter of months. Less successful as a hardcore wrestler, he achieved tremendous success utilizing combination of aerial attacks with his martial arts background. He would defend the Cruiserweight title effortlessly - including a match against his former trainer Izawa - before sealing it in his V10 defense in a gauntlet match. He then entered into tag team competition and won the World Tag Team Title, and would later capture the United States Championship before vacating the title just prior to parting ways with the company. Removing the mask, he traveled to the International Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the alias of Jere Hammer. After connecting with Milky Robinson, a prominent businessman out of Providence, RI, he began to develop a style reflecting more of a chip on his shoulder. Despite being undersized, he managed to avoid pinfall for quite sometime while taking down many of the company's greats en route to capture the IWF National Championship. He was scheduled to compete for a #1 contender's bout, but financial ruin struck IWF and the company folded a scant two months later, forcing him to retire the championship once and for all. In the Extreme Combat Federation (ECFED), once more he donned the mask - wrestling as the Masked Angler. Coming into the company with enormous fanfare and anticipation in his first match he wrestled for the inaugural Ironman Championship and won it convincingly. He would begin a feud with Paul Cross, to whom he would lose and subsequently regain the championship over the next several months. Years of constant battery, however, had taken its toll and as the company went into financial troulbe he left the organization. The Heavyweight Years (MCCWF, Lion's Road/SOCW/MLWA, UWL) Following a brief sabbatical, he made a return to pro-wrestling with the Maximum Class Championship Wrestling Federation, under the name as Jere Hammer, but this instance bringing a more impressive build a newly acquired skillset from his training with Alexander Irvine whom he met during his shoot-fighting days. More hybridized and more dangerous than ever, he went on to become the 2nd MCCWF World Heavyweight Champion. He feuded with Virgil Wallace, successfully defending the title, before he vacated the title and left the company. During his tenure in Lion's Road (later becoming known as the Southern Ontario Championship Wrestling), based out of Owen Sounds, Ontario, Julian Cutlass finally lived up to the potential of becoming the international superstar that scouts and critics claimed he could be. Tag teaming with Ryan Cooper as a duo known as the STRONGEST KINGS, they won LR's round-robin tournament, the Strongest Tag League, in the process also claiming the King of Lions Tag Team Championship. Following their victory, they would receive an invitation to the Universal Wrestling League based in the southeastern United States as a part of an interpromotional feud. There the team would not only make a successful V1 defense of the KOL tag team title, but they would go onto win a one-night tournament to capture the UWL Tag Team Championship, becoming the 8th champions. As a multi-promotional champion, Cutlass' tag team success would extend into the singles division, where he was occasionally believed to assume his lasted masked incarnation as KING Gladius Mask - a heel alter-ego of himself. Cutlass himself would make no comment on the validity of those claims, only that he had spoken to KING and considered him a fearsome competitor. On May 6, 2007, Cutlass would defeat Lion's Road ace, Eddie Jones, in order to capture the King of Lions Heavyweight Title. The All-Ontario Championship, considered a second-tier heavyweight title in Canada, was absorbed into the King of Lions Title - Cutlass thereby creating the Canadian Heavyweight Championship. With at one point three championships in hand (UWL Tag Title, KOL Tag Title, and KOL/Canadian Heavyweight Title) Cutlass reigned as the undisputed wrestler in all of Canada. His next venture would see him return for a short stint to the Universal Wrestling League in October 2007, tag-teaming with Alexander Irvine as the Jaguar Kings. However, they achieved a 0-2 win-loss record, despite at one point being ranked the #2 tag team in the company. Cutlass would bow out of the company citing nerve damage in his knee that would take time to heal. Early in 2010 rumors surfaced that Julian Cutlass might make a return to the pro-wrestling after nearly two years away from the ring. When questioned about the possibility, he answered, "I don't think that anything's impossible at this point. I'm feeling good, I'm in good enough shape definitely. I feel bad about how things went down in UWL. We had a lot more to give the fans and the rest of the pro-wrestling community, we still have a lot to give. I'll have to talk to my coaches." As of November 2009, Cutlass has been seen sparring with former coach E. Clarence Clayson in the campus facilities at Conrad. February 1, 2010 Julian Cutlass signed a contract with the Universal Wrestling League, signaling his return to the squared circle. He is scheduled to begin competition as soon as possible and when questioned about his return he little to say, replying only that, "I want to win, plain and simple." This return would be short-lived and Cutlass was believed to have left the sport for good. 2016-17: Return to Lion's Road, Black Lion's Road After nearly half a decade, Julian Cutlass would return to the sport when the rights to Lion's Road Pro-Wrestling were acquired by the fast-food chain Pollobucket and the company rebooted. Upon arrival, Lion's Road had already created a 2nd generation King of Lions Championship and Cutlass would split the Canadian Heavyweight Championship and bring the 1st generation King of Lions Championship into the promotion. He would wrestle against the 2nd generation champion, Robb Daniels, in a unification match on 7/14, losing the 1st generation title in the process. Cutlass would go onto the next tour to score a TKO victory over El Hijo de Pollo to earn a shot for the newly instituted Iron Championship against the eventual winner of the belt, Ben Crenshaw, on the next tour. It was also at this time that LR announced a tournament would be held on the next tour in Tokyo, Japan that would crown the Pride of Lions Tag champions. Alexander Irvine would sign a contract with the company and the two men would create the faction Black Lion's Road, meant to showcase the hybridized shootfighting/King's Road style of the two competitors. In the tournament, the two men would advance to the finals before wrestling Kenshin Takamura and Matt Pulver to a draw and being defeated a week later in a decision match for the titles. Cutlass would also lose against Ben Crenshaw and fail to capture the Iron Championship. After compiling an 0-3-1 record in titles competition following his return to the company, Cutlass would return from Japan with a renewed spirit, scoring singles victories over Kris Slade and Alexander Irvine and then competing in a scramble match on 9/29 to win the King of Lions Championship, pinning Robb Daniels after using the Fire Tiger Suplex, only the 2nd recorded instance of this move being utilized. On the following tour, Cutlass would enjoyed continued success in both singles and tag team competition. Black Lion's Road would earn two victories, one against the Ninjas and then defeating Kenshin Takamura and Matt Pulver to win the Pride of Lion Tag Team Championship. With this victory, Cutlass would again hold the two premier singles and tag team championships in Lion's Road nearly a decade after accomplishing the same in the original Ontario-based promotion. After Matt Pulver lost his number one contendership for the King of Lions Championship, Robb Daniels wold suddenly emerge in order to claim his rematch. At the finale of the Lake Michigan tour in Green Bay Wisconsin, Cutlass successfully defended the title against Robb Daniels to make his V1 defense. Black Lion’s Road would go on the next tour to make a successful V1 defense of the Pride of Lions Tag Team titles against the Burning Hammers, a team made up of shoot-fighter and reigning Lion’s Road Iron Champion James Edwards and Jacob Hammerstein. Cutlass’ V2 defense of the King of Lions title was to be scheduled as a triple threat survival match against Hammerstein and the former Iron Champion Ben Chrenshaw after those two men fought to a draw in a #1 contender’s match. Hammerstein would eliminate Chrenshaw but ultimately fall to the Blazin’ King’s succession of kicks, leaving Cutlass continue his reign as the ace of both the singles and tag division in Lion’s Road at the end of the 2016 season. Not to be done for the year, with the combined financial backing of Pollobucket, JaXED UP! Energy drinks, and the Tranklin Media Group, Black Lion’s Road would organize BLACK LION’S ROAD BOM-BA-YE!!~!! to take place on New Year’s Eve. Cutlass versus Irvine in singles action for the All-Ontario Heavyweight Championship would headline the event that also featured numerous other exhibitions, such as Vale Tudo and powerlifting events. Cutlass had won the All-Ontario title and unified it with the 1st generation King of Lions title after defeating Eddie Jones in 2007 to former the Canadian Heavyweight Championship. After Cutlass split the two belts to unify the 1st generation King of Lions with the current King of Lions Heavyweight title, Tranklin Media secured interim rights to defend the title provided the match be fought in Ontario, Canada. Because BOM-BA-YE would take place in Toronto, the same city that Cutlass had won it nearly a decade ago, the match was authorized. In a match billed as World War IV, Cutlass versus Irvine did not disappoint as the two men fought to an epic 60 minute draw, making a successful defense for Cutlass. However, after the match and mere moments into the new year, the Black Lion’s Road tandem would be attacked by the Dark Tide, setting the stage for a potential showdown between the two factions. With the onset of the new year, new challengers emerged.BLACK Lion’s Road would be confronted by the Red Army, a new faction that would erupt after Kraken turned on his teammate Leviathan. The Kraken and A.J. Knight would represent the Red Army in a match for the Tag Team Championship, but Cutlass and Irvine would successfully defend the titles. Defeating Ben Chrenshaw to become the #1 contender for the King of Lions title, Matt Pulver was slated to fight Julian Cutlass when Lion’s Road returned to Owen Sound, Ontario on 2/2 for the V3 defense of the title. Cutlass versus Pulver would end in a draw with neither man scoring a fall in a match that became hailed as an instant classic. Nevertheless, due to the draw, the Blazin' King would once again outlast another challenger. The tag team title reign for BLACK Lion’s Road would come to an end on February 23rd at the hands of the unusual duo of Matt Pulver – who recently fought Cutlass to a draw for the Kings of Lions title – and La Cucaracha. In the heavyweight title picture, the company’s reigning Iron champion, James Edwards, would emerge as the #1 contender for Cutlass’ title. An additional stipulation to this defense was that it was to be fought under Iron rules, a hybridized pro-wrestling/shoot-style match where victory could only be won by submission or TKO. Despite not having fought under the Iron rules before in Lion’s Road, Julian Cutlass would make a successful V4 defense of the King of Lions title winning via TKO after a barrage of knee strikes to Edwards. The next tour would see Julian Cutlass take part in Lion’s Road Pro Wrestling’s annual singles tournament, the Laurentide Cup. He would face a stacked block featuring the two largest heavyweight stars in the company, the Kraken and Jacob Hammerstein. Although Cutlass would defeat them both, he would narrowly escape each encounter having to rely on his submission shoot-fighting prowess to survive the two superheavyweights. He would move onto the finals where he would also make his V5 defense of the King of Lions title against A.J. Knight and Justin Seville in a triangle survival match. After Knight pinned Seville, Cutlass downed A.J. with his patented Blazin’ Kick in order to win the 2017 Laurentide Cup and make another successful title defense. Cutlass would make headlines once more after an interview with the Gamengiri Weekly Standard where he made disparaging remarks about Lion’s Road Pro-Wrestling’s Iron Champion, Corey Cruelty. Eventually these remarks caught the eye of the Boardroom who decided that the two men would fight in a title unification match on 5/25 in Oshawa, Ontario. The highly-anticipated bout would not fail to deliver and it took Cutlass unveiling his newly invented Requiem Exploder suplex to defeat Cruelty, winning the Iron Championship and making a successful V6 defense of the King of Lions title. After officially absorbing the former belt into the latter, he would make the claim that the match against Cruelty now made the King of Lions Championship the strongest title in pro-wrestling. Personal life Julian Cutlass has a home outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Signature Moves Finishing Maneuvers: *''Blazin' Kick (running face-kick to a seated opponent) *Nagata Lock III *Fire Tiger Suplex ''(double-chicken Tiger suplex; rarely used) *Scorpion Deathlock *'Requiem Exploder / KV-626' (wrist-clutch chokeslam exploder suplex, innovated) Signature Maneuvers: *''Tar Heel Hold'' (achilles heel hold) *Backdrop hold *Lariat *Brainbuster (sometimes off-the-top-rope) *enzuigiri *''Knee Bomber'' (grounded double-underhook hold with repeated knee-strikes) *Shining Wizard *German suplex hold *Sleeper hold *Reverse cross armbreaker *Punch-kick combinations *Backslide pin *running shotei (palm-strike to face) Sealed Maneuvers *''Stormbringer DDT ''(avalanche-style corkscrew DDT) *''Mack the Knife Driver ''(high-angle wrist-clutch Tenzan Tombstone Driver) Titles & Accomplishments Championships *1xDWF Hardcore Champion *1xDWF Cruiserweight Champion (sealed) *1xDWF Tag Team Champion (w/Stephanie) *1xDWF United States Champion *1xIWF National Champion *2xECFED Ironman Champion *1xMCCWF World Heavyweight Champion *1xKing of Lions Tag Crown (w/Ryan Cooper) *1xUWL Tag Team Champion (w/Ryan Cooper) *2xKing of Lions Heavyweight Champion *1xAll-Ontario Heavyweight Champion *1xCanadian Heavyweight Champion *1xPride of Lions Tag Team Champion (w/Alexander Irvine) *1xLRPW Iron Champion (sealed) Tournaments *DWF Cruiserweight Championship Tournament *IWF National Championship Tournament *Strongest Tag League (Lion's Road) (w/Ryan Cooper) *UWF Tag Team Title round-robin tournament (w/Ryan Cooper) *2017 Laurentide Cup